The 62-year-old developer is behind the controversial Glenora Skyline development at 142nd Street and Stony Plain Road.

Court documents indicate Davidoff was last seen by his family 5:30 p.m. Sunday when he left to go to a business meeting. He was reported missing later that night after missing another business meeting.

Raheel Ghias Khalon, 26, and David Chipere, 41, have since been charged with kidnapping, extortion, assault causing bodily harm, confinement, and uttering threats in relation to events that occurred Sunday involving Davidoff, his granddaughter and grandson.

Police said Davidoff is “recovering” from his injuries. Police found him at the rural home Tuesday morning. He was hospitalized for his injuries but has since been released

Court documents allege the men threatened “to kill him and his grandchildren,” while the extortion charge is related to attempts to obtain money from Davidoff.

The men, who were arrested Tuesday at a rural home in Sherwood Park, made a brief court appearance Wednesday morning and will back in court Thursday for a bail hearing. Both men are known to police and are listed as having no fixed address.

Police said Davidoff is “recovering” from his injuries. Police found him at the rural home Tuesday morning. He was hospitalized for his injuries but has since been released.

Davidoff is president of the Glenora Skyline Development Corporation, which is building a three-tower highrise project in Glenora. The project went through a record four days of public hearings before being approved.

Mike Seniuk owns an accounting firm located above the Glenora Skyline office on Stony Plain Road. Seniuk said he heard rumours Davidoff was missing. On Monday, he saw several police cars swoop into the building’s parking lot to arrest an older, “rough-looking,” gentleman, Seniuk said. That same morning, he saw Davidoff’s wife’s vehicle being towed from the office parking lot.

Davidoff was previously a city jeweller who, in 1992, was convicted of counselling the arson, theft of jewels and attack on another Edmonton diamond merchant.

In 2003, Davidoff filed a $5-million lawsuit in which he claimed he was innocent of the criminal charges he pleaded guilty to in 1992. He alleged police and prosecutors lied and withheld evidence during their investigations.

The civil suit, however was dismissed by the court for being filed too late.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/24/two-charged-after-edmonton-businessman-allegedly-kidnapped-and-held-for-two-days/feed/0stdAlex Davidoff, director at the Glenora Skyline condo complex outside the show suite, when complete it will be a four-tower complex in Edmonton, June 30, 2011.The Port Lands have awaited decontamination for years: Here is the plan on how to bring them backhttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/01/brown-fields/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/01/brown-fields/#commentsSat, 01 Sep 2012 19:19:48 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=208664

National Post GraphicsClick to see larger version of this graphic

There is no shortage of pretty drawings on the Waterfront Toronto website that imagine the future mixed-use neighbourhoods of Toronto’s Port Lands. They depict residential areas, shopping districts, smiling pedestrians and cyclists, and seemingly endless parkland, all accented by mature trees and stunning views of the downtown skyline.

But not so easy to depict is how the land itself will be prepared for such development.

The Port Lands today stand largely abandoned or underused, the ground bogged down by more than a century of built-up pollution and contamination.

And while the city has spent a decade planning how to revitalize the 400-acre parcel of land along the east waterfront, it has remained in development limbo for years. Any dreams of glory on the waterfront face two adversaries: the sheer scale of cleaning up the land, and tensions between the two parties tasked with managing the overhaul.

Peter J. Thompson/National Post)

Waterfront Toronto, created by all three levels of government in 1999 to manage waterfront redevelopment city-wide, must work alongside the Toronto Port Lands Company (TPLC), an arm’s-length city corporation that owns and manages most of the Port Lands.

“The TPLC’s responsibility lies in managing their business portfolio,” he noted.

The two organizations have also clashed over their preferred cleanup methods for the Port Lands.

Until the late 19th century, the Port Lands were a vast wetland, but as development took root south of Front Street, workers gradually filled the area with infill — the precise composition of which remains unknown. Some was solid waste, contributing to a concentration of methane gas below ground.

Chemical storage sites, coal yards, oil refineries and tank farms also arrived as the city’s industry grew, but they gradually vacated the area amid shifting economic winds, leaving behind heavy metal, oil and coal pollutants. That set the stage for the tedious task of cleaning up the derelict land.

“The difference with the Port Lands is that it is reclaimed land, and at the time that it was done, the landfill process was pretty indiscriminate,” said Glenn Miller, vice-president of education research at the Canadian Urban Institute. “So you really don’t know what you are starting with.”

Waterfront Toronto lauds the work of Green Soils, a private recycling company that uses a multi-stage process to clean contaminated soil. TPLC, on the other hand, is piloting a bioremediation program, a process that involves fertilizing contaminated soil to prepare it for reuse.

David Kusturin, Waterfront Toronto’s chief operating officer, has his doubts about TPLC’s program.

“I’m not sure that [TPLC] is going to be able to do it,” he said. “I don’t have the results of the material or what exactly they are doing, [but] the materials that we treated effectively by just doing bioremediation would not have been sufficient to reuse.”

At right above, we look at four techniques for remediating our port lands.

National Post

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/01/brown-fields/feed/2galleryPJT-Brownfield-7_Click to see larger version of this graphicPJT-Brownfield-5_Bus driver a 'hero' as crane brings down live power lines on packed TTC bushttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/20/passengers-escape-from-ttc-bus-after-crane-topples-over-next-to-vehicle-destroying-live-power-lines/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/20/passengers-escape-from-ttc-bus-after-crane-topples-over-next-to-vehicle-destroying-live-power-lines/#commentsMon, 20 Aug 2012 21:02:43 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=204546

National Post Graphics

A quick-thinking TTC driver drew praise for keeping 29 passengers safely on her bus Monday after a crane collapsed on Kipling Avenue, trapping the vehicle under a fallen hydro pole and surrounding it with live electrical wires.

Toronto Hydro worked for an hour and a half to secure the scene and make it safe for passengers to exit.

“It’s amazing that no one was injured,” said Councillor Doug Ford, who represents the area. “The TTC always gets criticized when they do something wrong and this is a lady who kept everyone calm and collected until it was safe to get off the bus.”

The crane, which was working on the expansion of the Kipling Acres Retirement Home, collapsed in the mid-afternoon, sending at least six hydro poles crashing down between Hinton Road and Rex Gate on Kipling Avenue. Police said the cause of the collapse remains unknown, but the Ministry of Labour will be investigating.

Almost 500 residences remained without power as of Monday evening and could remain so until Tuesday morning, according to Tanya Bruckmueller, spokeswoman for Toronto Hydro. “It’s unfortunate and we are doing our best, but the site is under police and Ministry of Labour control right now and we’ll do our best to get it cleaned up and customers’ power restored,” she said. “Please be patient with us and stay away from any down wires,” she said.

Toronto Hydro had to ensure that power was completely cut from the wires around the bus before the passengers could exit safely.

“We had to isolate the power source, make sure it was turned off and then test it before we could ensure it was safe,” Ms. Bruckmueller said.

The 30-year-old operator of the crane sustained minor injuries that required he go to hospital, but Detective Rich Petrie of Toronto police said he was expected to be released by Monday evening.

“Everyone [on the bus] was examined by paramedics and there were no injuries,” he said. “Luckily, considering this is a retirement home, usually there is a lot of people and pedestrian traffic, but when I got here the only vehicle in traffic was the bus.”

As of now, it is unclear who will pay for the damages from the accident. Buttcon Ltd. manages the construction of the expansion of the retirement home into a three-storey, 192-resident long-term-care home. The city of Toronto owns and operates the home.

“We will have to figure out what the cause was. The crane is rented by a company who is under contract by the general contractor — who is responsible we will have to find out,” Det. Petrie said. “There’s probably ­going to be lawsuits.”

National Post

J.P. Moczulski for National PostThe scene of a crane accident after the crane operator was recued from his cabin at Kipling Rd south of Albion in Toronto, August 20, 2012

J.P. Moczulski for National PostThe crane fell onto powerlines which then in turn fell onto a TTC bus

J.P. Moczulski for National PostA crane operator is recued from his cabin at left by Toronto fire and EMS personnel working from a firetruck boom at Kipling Rd south of Albion in Toronto, August 20, 2012

J.P. Moczulski for National PostThe crane operator is recued from his cabin

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/20/passengers-escape-from-ttc-bus-after-crane-topples-over-next-to-vehicle-destroying-live-power-lines/feed/7galleryA now empty TTC bus with a hydro pole crashed behind it sits on Kipling Rd south of Albion in Toronto, August 20, 2012. A crane fell over onto powerlines which then in turn fell onto a TTC bus. The bus driver and passengers were safely evacuation after power was cut to the linesNational Post GraphicsThe scene of a crane accident after the crane operator was recued from his cabin at Kipling Rd south of Albion in Toronto, August 20, 2012The crane fell onto powerlines which then in turn fell onto a TTC busA crane operator is recued from his cabin at left by Toronto fire and EMS personnel working from a firetruck boom at Kipling Rd south of Albion in Toronto, August 20, 2012CranesaveWaterfront Toronto will look to private sector to fund redevelopment of Port Landshttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/08/waterfront-toronto-will-look-to-private-sector-to-fund-redevelopment-of-port-lands/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/08/waterfront-toronto-will-look-to-private-sector-to-fund-redevelopment-of-port-lands/#commentsWed, 08 Aug 2012 19:28:14 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=201199

Waterfront Toronto will be looking to the private sector to help fund its 30-year, $1.9-billion plan to redevelop the derelict waterfront in the Port Lands.

Building on the existing work done in relation to the development of the project, deputy city manager John Livey said they focused on coming up with a business model to fund the project without relying on public funding.

“We are almost at a break-even point,” said John Campbell, CEO of Waterfront Toronto noting that the added cost of flood protection is the largest “nut to crack”

Key changes in the Port Lands acceleration initiative also include a phasing in of flood protection for the district, added cost savings and changes to design elements.

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“There is a variety of funding mechanisms being looked at,” Mr. Campbell said. “Before the private sectors initial reaction was, “no we don’t want to pay for this,” but when they pay for part of it, it adds value to their land.”

Since 2011, the city and Waterfront Toronto has been working to redevelop the site into a mixed-use residential hub.

The original conceptual landscape design of the area began in 2007 by architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.

The Port Lands was a point of heavy industry and played a central role in Toronto’s growth as the primary port used for trade and shipping.

“I call it the theatre of the harbour,” Mr. Campbell said about the industrial relics such as salt hills and concrete that will remain as the area develops.

Most of the area has been abandoned, with years of contamination stock-piled from oil refineries, chemical storage, ash disposal and other industrial chemicals left in the area.

Through the elimination of certain infrastructure such as bridges and simplifying construction details, the revised plan will save approximately $130-million.

The district is surrounded by the Don River to the North and Lake Ontario to the south. Most of the area is in the flood plain of the Don River.

A four-phase process proposed in this plan involves the widening of the Don and the creation of a river crossing going south down the Don Roadway. According to David Kusturin, COO of Waterfront Toronto, this will eventually protect all of the Port Lands from flooding.

The 400-hectare district is primarily owned by the city, with arms length corporation the Toronto Port Lands Company managing the properties.

National Post

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/08/waterfront-toronto-will-look-to-private-sector-to-fund-redevelopment-of-port-lands/feed/1stdThe added cost of flood protection is the largest "nut to crack," says John Campbell, president and CEO of Waterfront Toronto.Plan to demolish military housing draws fire from Toronto councillorhttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/03/plan-to-demolish-military-housing-draws-fire-from-toronto-councillor/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/03/plan-to-demolish-military-housing-draws-fire-from-toronto-councillor/#commentsFri, 03 Aug 2012 07:27:19 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=200089

The largely abandoned low-rise military housing neighbourhood at Downsview Park is one step closer to its transition into a 3,200-unit residential complex with the release Wednesday of a request for development proposals.

The Crown corporation that owns the land is seeking redevelopment of 25 acres located at William Baker Park, at the north end of Downsview Park at the corner of Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue. Although the neighbourhood will primarily be residential, there will also be commercial development at the northwest and southwest ends of William Baker.

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But the latest stage in the transformation of the former Downsview military base is not going over well with some area residents and at least one local city councillor.

Stating he is “disappointed” in the continuing developments at Downsview Park, Councillor Anthony Peruzza thinks the community and the city would be better served if William Baker Park remained just the way it is right now.

“It’s all about development and intensification,” said Mr. Peruzza, who represents the area. “It is a beautiful park now, with beautiful trees and military housing that in my view is a heritage district.”

Representatives of Parc Downsview Park Inc. believe that with a new subway station being built a kilometre from the proposed housing project, the need to intensify and develop the area is paramount.

“It’s great for the city, it is going to put people using transit next door,” said David Soknacki, chair of the board at the Crown corporation. “It will turn fallow land into neighbourhoods, it is about moving forward with the future in an area that has been neglected.”

The proposal for bids will close at the beginning of September and from there demolition will begin on the houses that remain in the park to pave the way for a mixed-use site.

Mr. Peruzza thinks the demolition might just be a way to remove something he believes is historic before anyone can do anything to oppose it.

“Someone might come here, see what a picturesque neighbourhood [it is and say] ‘Let’s take it down before someone notices,’ ” he said.

Most of the military houses in William Baker Park are abandoned and, in the absence of residents, trees and wildlife have taken over.

The Downsview Secondary Review Plan, backed by the Ontario Municipal Board in 2011, allows for the construction of 10,000 new residential units in the five surrounding neighbourhoods of Downsview Park owned by the Crown corporation. Ranging from mid-rise developments capped at 15 storeys, to townhouses, to a section allotted for affordable housing, the redevelopment of William Baker works in tandem with developments happening all over Downsview.

“We achieved top-level planning for all of the lands through an official plan amendment,” Mr. Soknacki said.

Issues with how to service the increase in the area’s population were just some of the community council’s concerns, said Mr. Peruzza.

Mr. Soknacki said community council dragged its feet for too long on the issue, forcing the appeal to the OMB.

“We don’t delude ourselves that these are some major transformations in these areas and there is a lot at stake,” he said. “We are not to be held hostage to nimbyism.”

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Beginning his career in 1985, Mr. Sorbara served as MPP for the York North and York Central region for ten years before returning to the private sector.

He threw his hat back into the political ring in 1999 when he became president of the Ontario Liberal Party. He later served as the Liberal campaign chair for the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections.

This announcement means Ontario will be anticipating two by-elections in the near future. In April, Elizabeth Witmer, PC MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo stepped down when Premier Dalton McGuinty appointed her chair to Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

With 112,500 signatures on four cases of petitions, Dave Bryans marched to the steps of Queen’s Park to proclaim that the time has come to change Ontario’s liquor sales laws.

“We are looking at a much more mature and fast-moving society with access to 24-hour stores everywhere,” he said. “The only thing we don’t have is access to wine, beer and spirits wherever we want — we are at the mercy of the government.”

As the CEO of the Ontario Convenience Store Association (OCSA), Mr. Bryans wants the government to allow for the sale of liquor in convenience stores. The association plans to present the petition to Premier Dalton McGuinty in the fall, when the legislature returns.

In the meantime, the National Post takes a look at the numbers related to nation’s various liquor sales laws.

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60 Percentage of Ontarians over the age of 18 who support the idea of selling beer and wine in alternative establishments, according to an Angus Reid study commissioned by the OCSA last year. In Ontario, liquor, wine and spirits can be purchased only at government-operated Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores or the Beer Store, an establishment owned and operated by Labatt’s Brewing Company, Molson Coors Canada and Sleeman Breweries Ltd.

80 Population of Vanessa, a small hamlet outside of Brantford, Ont., where the petition began. Store owner Joanne McMurchy started the process after fielding multiple complaints over the years from her patrons. Residents of Vanessa have to drive upwards of 20 minutes to reach the closest LCBO or Beer Store. “The response was overwhelming, people started coming into the store just to sign it,” she said.

2 The number of provinces that allow for the sale of beer in convenience stores. Quebec has the loosest laws, allowing for the sale of a wide range of beer and wine at grocery stores and convenience stores. In Newfoundland, you can purchase locally brewed beers at select convenience stores.

2 The number of provinces that allow for private retailers to own and operate liquor stores. In British Columbia and Alberta, private liquor stores operate with licences from the province. Whereas Alberta has completely privatized liquor stores, British Columbia has both government-owned and operated stores (run by the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch) and privately run liquor stores. Neither province allows for the sale of alcohol in convenience stores.

2.5 Billions of dollars in total sales of alcohol in government-run The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) stores.

312.7 Millions of dollars in total sales in Quebec at privately owned and operated establishments (including grocery stores and convenience stores).

200 Number of stand-alone stores in Ontario that sell liquor in under-serviced areas of the province without access to LCBOs.

20.3 Billions of dollars that Canadians spent at beer and liquor stores in 2011.

4.7 Billions of dollars in net sales for the LCBO for 2011.

1.6 Billions of dollars, before taxes, transferred to the Ontario government from these sales.

278.7 The increase, in millions of dollars, in revenue to the Alberta government annually after the privatization of liquor sales in the province in 1993, according to the province’s Gaming and Liquor Commission. In 1993, there were 803 state-run stores; now there are 1,959 private liquor stores and greatly increased sales leading to higher government revenue.

On Monday, Premier Dalton McGuinty and Police Chief Bill Blair emerged from a meeting at Queen’s Park with Mayor Rob Ford with a promise to make permanent $12.5-million in annual funding to Toronto Police’s TAVIS program. But the premier declined to pledge the multi-million dollars the mayor asked for to hire more police. On Tuesday it was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s turn to meet the mayor. The only solution emerging so far is an acronym that no one understands. The National Post’s Kristin Annable examines the initiative to which the premier is pledging your tax dollars.

Q: What is TAVIS and what does it do? A: Toronto Police began the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy in 2006. TAVIS’s Rapid Response Team act as the enforcement leg that works in high-crime areas of the city. The team’s 72 officers go out day and night in teams of 18, usually on foot or bicycle to monitor these high-risk neighbourhoods. The team’s high-visibility approach can help prevent violent crime, said Sgt. Greg Watts, the TAVIS co-ordinator: “We reduce the opportunity to commit crimes. Yes they catch the bad guys, but they also prevent the crimes from happening.”

Q: Where was TAVIS during the Eaton Centre shooting or last week’s Danzig Street shooting? A: The Rapid Response Team responded immediately to both incidences, Sgt. Watts said. Since the shooting on Danzig, they have returned to the neighbourhood frequently to monitor the people coming and going into the area.

Each summer, TAVIS chooses two or three priority areas in the city based on crime figures and other factors. TAVIS worked in 43 division in 2011. This summer, TAVIS chose the Jane Street corridor in Division 31 and Mount Olive/Rexdale area in Division 12.

Q: How effective are TAVIS teams? A: The premier said in a news release Monday that TAVIS contributed to the arrest of more than 22,000 people since its inception in 2006. Scot Wortley, a criminologist at the University of Toronto, said one should examine this statistic carefully.

Tyler Anderson/National Post filesOfficers working on TAVIS patrol a west-end neighbourhood in 2009.

“As a criminologist, I might ask the question — what have those arrests been for? To what extent were they gun related or violent crime? To what extent were they committing a minor crime?” he asked.

Sgt. Watts said that every year police see a reduction in crime in the areas where TAVIS works.

Police crime statistics show that — despite what seems to be an increase in murder this summer — overall the violent crime rate has declined more than 10% since last year and the murder rate is stagnant.

“I think we have definitely seen a small reduction in violent crime since the inception of TAVIS,” Mr. Wortley said. “I think the question is to what extent can we credit this to TAVIS and to what extent can we credit these declines to the huge increase in funding to youth programs since the shooting of Jane Creba in 2005?”

National Post

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/25/examining-thetoronto-polices-tavis-program/feed/3stdTAVISTAVISGTA residents willing to live in smaller homes in the city, but only if the price is right: reporthttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/16/gta-residents-willing-to-live-in-smaller-homes-in-the-city-but-only-if-the-price-is-right-report/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/16/gta-residents-willing-to-live-in-smaller-homes-in-the-city-but-only-if-the-price-is-right-report/#commentsTue, 17 Jul 2012 01:41:36 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=194679

Residents in the GTA are willing live closer together and in smaller quarters but only if the price is right, says a new report.

“Housing price could be driving people to the distant car-dependent suburbs rather than preference,” said Cherise Burda, Ontario Policy Director for the Pembina Institute, which co-authored the report with RBC.

If the cost of housing was the same between living in the city, the suburbs or a rural area, 50% of people would chose to live in the city, said the report, which examined the home location preferences for people in the GTA.

“Not accounting for cost, GTA residents prefer walkable, transit-friendly neighbourhoods to large houses and yards in distant suburbs that require a car to get to most destinations,” said the report.

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Taking cost out of the picture, 81% of respondents would choose a house on a modest lot, a townhouse or a condo in a city or suburb that is walkable to stores, restaurants and other amenities and has good access to frequent rapid transit.

“What the study shows is that there is an appetite and desire for these location-efficient choices and options, but they are just not affordable and that’s what we found out when we included the cost,” Ms. Burda said.

Despite this desire to live in “location-efficient” neighbourhoods, residents end up living in less dense areas due to the price. The affordability of their home accounted for 79% of the reason why people chose to live where they do.

The report concludes that this may point to a demand for “in-between housing,” something between the car-dependent suburbs and the downtown high-rise condominium for residents.

The report cites Markham and Aurora as two emerging suburban cities that have walkability, access to public transit and an increase in mid- and high-rise development. They can be used as the perfect example of location-efficient suburbs, said Ms. Burda

“We need to create more incentives for developers to build non-high rise developments, like townhouses,” she said. “You see a lot of that happening in Markham, this sort of new urbanism where houses are attached but they are townhouses with larger lots and play areas.”

The findings for this report came from an online survey conducted by Environics Research group using a sample of 1,014 residents of the GTA, aged 18 or older. A probability sample of this size would yield a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20

National Post

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/16/gta-residents-willing-to-live-in-smaller-homes-in-the-city-but-only-if-the-price-is-right-report/feed/2stdResidents in the GTA are willing live closer together and in smaller quarters but only if the price is right, says a new report.Communities clash with developers over mid-rise condo projects in the cityhttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/08/communities-clash-with-developers-over-mid-rise-condo-projects-in-the-city/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/08/communities-clash-with-developers-over-mid-rise-condo-projects-in-the-city/#commentsSun, 08 Jul 2012 20:39:00 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=191938

Standing in a gymnasium packed with about 200 people who live and work around Ossington Avenue, Benjamin Hellie, a professor at the University of Toronto, told developers they were out to destroy his neighbourhood.

“People come to the Ossington strip because of its character, the independent business and low-rise roofline — We are not a mid-rise area, we are a low-rise area,” he said, to thunderous applause.

Facing off against community members at the June 25 meeting were developers Reserve Properties and architect Roland Rom Colthoff, who want to build a mid-rise condominium at 109 Ossington Ave. The opponents came in such great numbers that the host of the meeting, Councillor Mike Layton, had to cut Mr. Rom Colthoff off in the middle of his presentation to move the meeting from a small second-floor room into the gymnasium.

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The proposal for a six-storey, 86-residential-unit, mixed-use condo on the site of a used car lot, residents say, defies the typical low-rise streetscape. They worry about parking, noise, traffic, environmental issues and height. The developer pleaded with them to see this in perspective.

“People in their heads hear the word condo and see massive 20-storey overbearing buildings — and that is not what a mid-rise is all about,” said Shane Fenton, vice-president of Reserve Properties.

To get his way, Mr. Rom Colthoff has to have the site rezoned for six storeys from four. J.P. Manoux, a resident whose home will literally be in the backyard of the condo, accuses developers of “shattering Ossington’s zoning.”

“I can’t wait for it be to a beautifully designed building within our zoning,” he said. “I just hope they have a backup plan.”

Still, the developers seem confident council will approve their proposal. The team saw the zoning for their similarly designed, six-storey mid-rise just a few blocks over at 41 Ossington Ave. approved in January.

“That was a site that was far closer and had a bigger impact on the residential community in terms of its proximity to low-rise neighbourhoods,” Mr. Fenton said, mentioning that it faced zero public outcry.

Call it The Rise of the Midrise: from Roncesvalles to the Beach, mid-rise condo development (developments five to 11 storeys) have popped up — and not without controversy.

Last month members from the Beach community faced off against another Reserve Properties mid-rise development. Dozens gathered at city hall, protesting against plans for the six-storey Lakehouse Beach Residences condominiums at Queen Street East and Kenilworth Avenue. The spot at present houses Toronto’s first Lick’s Homeburger restaurant, which opened in 1980.

Handout / Jessica VergeAn artist's depiction of Lakehouse Beach condominium. Last month members from the Beach community gathered at city hall, protesting against plans for the six-storey condominiums at Queen Street East and Kenilworth Avenue. The spot at present houses Toronto’s first Lick’s Homeburger restaurant, which opened in 1980.

Toronto-East York Community Council, avoiding a costly battle with the Ontario Municipal Board, approved the rezoning of the site to allow for the six-storey development.

“We welcome new development, we want new development,” Jason Self, a Beach resident said during the meeting.

“What we’re concerned with is this will be precedent-setting.”

Maybe this is not quite a precedent yet, but the city is hoping it will be soon.

The city has specifically pushed for these developments as a means to intensify what it calls “Avenues” — a city phrase for the main streets of Toronto. In its Official Plan, the city identified stretches of major transportation corridors, such as Bloor Street West, St. Clair Avenue and College Street, as key areas for intensification.

In partnership with architecture firm Brook McIlroy, the city began to study these streets in 2008. According to the report, theoretically 162 kilometres of Toronto’s main streets could be redeveloped into mid-rise condominiums, accommodating 250,000 new residents. The city adopted these new Avenue and Mid-rise guidelines in July 2010.

The city looks at this as a progressive way to promote residential growth in way that doesn’t fill these Avenues with high-rise buildings, said Robert Freedman the Director of Urban Design for the city.

“There is only a small portion of Toronto where we permit intensification, and we don’t want to promote tall building,” he said. “So it’s a good way to densify areas adjacent to neighbourhoods.”

The guidelines give developers 19 performance standards they must adhere to when building along these identified Avenues. This includes maximum width, height, allowance for a minimum of five hours of sunlight on the ground level and other conditions. They also encourage a retail component at the ground-level of the building.

The idea was to expedite the rigorous approval process required when getting a new condo built, said Anne McIlroy, principle architect at Brook McIlroy.

People are afraid. They fear the worst for their neighbourhood

“It makes the approvals much quicker and the developers are very clear what rules they have to go by,” she said. “They are not going through multiple design models, waiting for approval.”

City planning also went through a process of studying 19 different stretches of the Avenues, consulting with the communities and making individual recommendations for each one. This created a “pre-zoning” for 25% of the “Avenues.” (Ossington is not among them). Now, other than minor variances developers have to apply for, a mid-rise can be developed at a much faster pace. As long as their development falls within the guidelines.

Although these guidelines help developers, the dated zoning bylaws for the other 75%, community push-back and lack of property all act as road-blocks to the city’s vision of Paris rising along its Avenues.

“People are afraid. They fear the worst for their neighbourhood,” Mr. Rom Colthoff said.

The implementation of the mid-rise has fallen short of the vision, said Barry Lyon, a downtown Toronto real estate consultant.

“They have all tended to be initially fought by neighbourhoods, the perceptions include a drop in property values, increased traffic and overshadowing a building,” he said. “The biggest problem is assembling land; land on the Avenues is typically expensive and ownership is broken up, so it is difficult to assemble a row.”

Since the adoption of the guidelines, there have been 37 new applications for mid-rise development along the Avenues, approximately 30% more than in the 18 months prior.

In the case of both the Beach and Ossington, they fall under the “grey” area that has plagued developers. Ossington has yet to be identified as an Avenue, even though most developers see that stretch as having the characteristics of a main street.

Same goes for the Beach. Although Queen Street East has been identified as an Avenue, city council approved the motion to have it exempt from the mid-rise guidelines.

The study put the guidelines into use with the idea that city planners would monitor the outcome. The city hopes to gather feedback from planners and urban designers on any tweaks that need to be made and report any recommendations to city council after the fall.

“Are our plans working? Absolutely yes. Would we like to see more? Yes.” Mr. Freedman said.

Even though council has yet to approve the zoning for 109 Ossington, Reserve said hungry condo buyers have purchased half of the units. At the Lakehouse, 90% have been sold.

Mayor Rob Ford did not want to talk Monday about the departure of his chief of staff. Meeting reporters at City Hall, he took questions only about the Festival of Football, a grassroots soccer fundraiser for which he is putting together a team.

But the team in Mr. Ford’s office at City Hall is the one that needs attention — after Amir Remtulla announced on the weekend that he is leaving, after 18 months in the mayor’s office, to work for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

“Amir has brought tremendous leadership to my team,” said Mr. Ford in a release issued Saturday. “His experience, advice and dedication to his work will be missed.”

At Monday’s announcement of the Festival of Football, being held in August to raise money for West Park Healthcare Centre, a reporter asked the mayor whether he has found a new chief of staff.

“Not yet,” he responded, before returning to talk of soccer.

As of July 20, Mr. Remtulla will leave the mayor’s office and in August begin his new post as the vice-president of External Partnerships with the Pan Am Games.

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“I am happy as anything for Amir and that we will have one of the mayor’s guys on the floor of the Games,” said Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother.

“Amir has been going hard 24/7, 18 hours a day and you get an opportunity to advance your career, get paid a lot more and have one-tenth the pressure.”

A pay raise will most likely be coming Mr. Remtulla’s way — possibly a more than $40,000 a year increase. As Mr. Ford’s chief of staff, he made $156,692 in 2011; the Pan Am Games’ current VP of external partnerships earned $199,433 in 2011, according to the Ontario Ministry of Finance Public Sector salary disclosures.

The mayor will be looking for his third chief of staff, less than two years after taking office. His campaign manager in 2010, Nick Kouvalis, became his first chief of staff, but stepped down shortly after Mr. Ford’s election.

Mr. Remtulla took over in February 2011. He is one of four key players lost from the mayor’s office since his election. Mr. Ford’s press secretary, Adrienne Batra, and policy and council liaison Andrew Pask have also left.

“This kind of revolving door of staff tells you that working in the mayor’s office is extremely problematic and challenging,” said Myer Siemiatycki, a professor in politics at Ryerson University.

Recalling that Mr. Remtulla would answer emails day and night, Councillor Jaye Robinson said that he has a young family and working under the mayor requires a huge time commitment.

“I think the first 18 months were one of the most challenging of any council. I can’t recall a time where we have had so many controversial topics in such an intense manner,” the councillor said.

Mr. Siemiatycki thinks the next chief of staff better be prepared for not only a difficult mayor, but also an intrusive older brother.

“Then of course you have the elephant in the room — Doug Ford, talk about a tough office environment, an absentee mayor who has no ability to lead on issues, then you got a meddling, interfering older brother.” he said.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/08/rob-fords-chief-of-staff-quits-to-take-job-with-pan-am-games/feed/2stdTA32212-Ford2.jpgamir_remtulla.JPGMan murdered in North York condo was known to policehttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/25/man-murdered-in-north-york-condo-was-known-to-police/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/25/man-murdered-in-north-york-condo-was-known-to-police/#commentsMon, 25 Jun 2012 15:56:50 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=187523

The 28-year old man murdered in a upscale condo in North York was known to police, said Detective Sergeant Daniel Nielsen and police are on the hunt for the men caught by surveillance leaving the scene of the crime.

The search has begun for at least four men who were seen leaving the victim’s apartment shortly after the murder. Police believe at one of the men was in room when the murder took place.

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“We know there was at least one person in the apartment, maybe more, when the shooting happened, that male went to some tenants and said to call 911 for medical emergency and that is how the victim was found by ambulance,” he said.

After receiving a call for a “medical complaint” emergency workers rushed to the ninth-floor of 100 Harrison Garden Boulevard at 6:48 p.m. Suffering from an “obvious gunshot wound” they pronounced Hussein Hussein, 28, dead at the scene.

After the man spoke with tenants, police believe he left the condo, along with four others. This is based on surveillance footage they have collected.

“They were seen leaving the building immediately after the shooting, four or five males, in late teens early twenties who appear to be of African descent,” he said.

Still in the early stages of the investigation, police say that there is plenty of video surveillance in the condo and the surrounding area they still need to review.

National Post

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/25/man-murdered-in-north-york-condo-was-known-to-police/feed/0stdHussein Hussein, 28, was found dead on the ninth floor in the west tower of 100 Harrison Garden Blvd. in North York.Café owners determined not to let Little Italy shooting keep people away from ‘this unique part of Toronto’http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/21/spectacle-of-little-italy-shooting-no-accident-bia/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/21/spectacle-of-little-italy-shooting-no-accident-bia/#commentsThu, 21 Jun 2012 06:53:09 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=186172

Three days after the Little Italy shooting at a café just below her apartment, Sheila Cox can finally get into her home without ducking under yellow police tape.

She has lived above the Sicilian Café — where 35-year-old John Raposo was killed and another man, an unintended target, was wounded while watching a Euro Cup soccer match Monday afternoon — since 1970 and cannot recall “such a tragedy at this corner.”

“I tried to go to the café to pay my condolences to the family, but the police yelled at me for entering a crime scene,” said Ms. Cox, describing the Galipo family, owners of the cafe, as “exceptionally nice people.”

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Maria Galipo, whose title is CEO of the Sicilian Café, addressed the media Wednesday afternoon to announce that the ice cream shop would be re-opening in a day or two. “If we, as a city, allow some isolated act of violence to keep people away from our café and this unique part of Toronto, then the violence wins,” she said.

We have not moved in over 50 years and we intend to remain a vital part of this neighbourhood

A main-stay of the College Street strip, the café has been at its location for over 50 years and the Galipo family has no intention of moving.

“My father and his brothers opened our café in 1959,” Ms. Galipo said. “We have not moved in over 50 years and we intend to remain a vital part of this neighbourhood.”

A single bouquet of flowers sits on the ground of the café’s patio, covering the faint bloodstain where Mr. Raposo was shot. Signs that predate the shooting remain in the window, advertising a need for baristas, counter-attendants and cooks.

Peter J. Thompson/National PostPolice investigate the Sicilian Sidewalk Café at the corner of Montrose and College after the shooting Monday.

The Galipo family is traumatized, said Lenny Lombardi, chair of the Little Italy BIA, of which Ms. Galipo is also a member. “On two levels, the family was working that day…. Maria’s mother was working, along with her nieces and nephews, and it happened right before their eyes,” he said. “And they are concerned about the stigmatization of their business.”

In response to reports that there was a reason as to why the shooter chose that time and location, Mr. Lombardi said this sort of thing doesn’t happen by accident. “But I don’t think it meant anything with respect to the café itself, nor do I think it has anything to do with our neighbourhood.”

Sources have told the National Post that Mr. Raposo had a gambling habit and big debts. Around the gambling world he is known as a “big shooter,” the source said.

The wounded man was shot only because he was “in the general area,” police said Wednesday, and he is expected to survive.

Possibly the shooter was known well enough to the target that if he was recognized on approach, the target would take evasive measures

The public nature of the killing suggests several things to Lee Lamothe, a best-selling organized crime author who has written multiple non-fiction books on the subject and whose next book, The Glass Pieces, comes out in October.

“It means either the victim wasn’t easily got at when he was alone or isolated; or that killing in such a public manner makes a point that someone wanted out there — a message.”

No arrests have been made, though police have issued a description of the suspect: a white male, six-feet tall with blond shoulder-length hair and a medium build. Const. Victor Kwong said the shooter may have been loitering in the area before the 3:30 shooting.

It is difficult to tell whether this was a professional hit, said Mr. Lamothe, but he believes police are dealing with a gifted amateur at least.

Darren Calabrese/National PostFlowers placed at the scene of the fatal shooting in Little Italy lay on the ground in front of the Sicilian Sidewalk Café in Toronto Tuesday.

Police have described the shooter as wearing a white hard hat, an orange safety vest with fluorescent green “X” on the front and back and a white filter mask on his face.

In a place like Little Italy, it makes sense to use construction gear, Mr. Lamothe said. “Possibly the shooter was known well enough to the target that if he was recognized on approach, the target would take evasive measures.”

In the perfect murder, said Mr. Lamothe, no one is ever charged. “A saying from an old homicide detective I worked with years ago: to commit the perfect murder you need to do about 40 things perfectly. A genius might think of 15 and do 10 of them exactly.”

National Post, with files from Adrian Humphreys and The Canadian Press

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/21/spectacle-of-little-italy-shooting-no-accident-bia/feed/5std“We intend to remain a vital part of this neighbourhood,” says Maria Galipo, CEO of the Sicilian Café.Police investigate the Sicilian Sidewalk Café at the corner of Montrose and College after the shooting Monday.Flowers placed at the scene of yesterday's fatal shooting in Little Italy lay on the ground in front of the Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe in Toronto Tuesday, June 19, 2012Cafe at the site of Toronto’s Little Italy shooting will re-open in a day or twohttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/20/cafe-at-the-site-of-torontos-little-italy-shooting-will-re-open-in-a-day-or-two-ceo/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/20/cafe-at-the-site-of-torontos-little-italy-shooting-will-re-open-in-a-day-or-two-ceo/#commentsWed, 20 Jun 2012 19:02:35 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=185976

Days after the Sicilian Cafe was the scene of the public mid-afternoon murder of John Raposo, cafe CEO Maria Galipo announced they will be re-opening in a day or two.

With Little Italy community leaders Lenny Lombardi and former deputy mayor Joe Pantalone behind her, Ms. Galipo said that she doesn’t want this incident to scare people away from Little Italy.

“If we as a city, allow some isolated act of violence to keep people away from our cafe and this unique part of Toronto, then the violence wins,” she said.

A single bouquet of flowers sit on the ground of the cafe’s patio, covering a still visible pool of blood, marking the spot where Mr. Raposo was shot Monday while watching the Italy Euro Cup soccer game. The crime tape has been removed and Ms. Galipo said the police told her family, “they could have our cafe back.”

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/20/cafe-at-the-site-of-torontos-little-italy-shooting-will-re-open-in-a-day-or-two-ceo/feed/0stdLittle-Italy-ShootingShooting in Little Italy leaves one deadNeighbours were shocked by the death of John Raposo, left. Little-Italy-Shooting‘Generous’ bonuses for Build Toronto executives under scrutinyhttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/12/generous-bonuses-for-build-toronto-executives-under-scrutiny/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/12/generous-bonuses-for-build-toronto-executives-under-scrutiny/#commentsWed, 13 Jun 2012 03:49:10 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=183191

Top executives at Build Toronto received bonuses of more than $100,000 in 2011, and Toronto’s executive committee says it’s time to review their compensation.

Calling it an embarrassment, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong said year after year the increases in salaries and benefits to the top four executives of the city-owned property development agency have increased about 20%.

“It’s a hard sell to the public, it’s a hard sell for council to approve, as shareholders, these generous bonuses and generous salaries.”

The executive committee on Tuesday agreed to Coun. Minnan-Wong’s motion to review the future salary and bonuses of the city’s union and non-union employees.

Build CEO Lorne Braithwaite, who obtained a salary increase of $10,000 and a bonus of $267,500 in 2011, defended the work of the agency in an appearance before the committee.

By generating a net profit of $10.6-million in 2011, Mr. Braithwaite said the agency doesn’t just generate money, there is also a significant city-building component to the company.

“It would have cost over $135-million over a five-year period for the city if we had just listed the stuff with a broker and let them sell it,” he said.

As a corporation that saves the city in excess of $135-million, its executives should be compensated according to the industry standard, argued Councillor Mike Thompson, who sits on the Build’s board.

“This is not just an organization that puts out a real estate sign,” he said.

Toronto home prices could fall 15% over the next three years, according to a report released by Toronto-Dominion economists Monday. Yet, Toronto is a hot spot with brisk activity in its housing market, according to the Royal Bank of Canada’s June Economic Outlook. Furthermore, the housing market in Canada is cooling according to the May housing starts released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. So clarity on the future of the city’s real estate market is hard to come by, it seems. Is the housing market cooling, bubbling, bursting or booming? The National Post’s Kristin Annable seeks answers from John Andrew, a professor at Queen’s University’s School of Business who focuses on real estate.

Q So, this report by TD, should Toronto homeowners be worried?A Most people won’t be affected at all because they are living in their homes with no intention to sell, so they don’t care. It’ll alarm people, but unless you have to sell your house in the next six months it won’t matter. Also, it is self-correcting. People … who have been waiting five years to buy their first home and couldn’t afford to are now thinking, this is the time to jump in. Then that drives the prices back up.

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Q What does cause you concern in relation to current market trends?A If everyone who bought a condo planned on living in it themselves, then we wouldn’t have a problem. Once interest rates go up significantly and people’s mortgages go up for renewal (most have a five-year terms) they may find they bought more condo then they could afford because the interest rate was really low at the time. What could happen is in five years the interest rate could go from 5% to 9% and people who just invest [as opposed to live in the condo] are the first to walk away and dump it back on the market. They think, “I can barely afford it and I am not collecting enough rent, so I am going to sell that to the market.” At the same time 7,000 other people are putting those houses on the market and the prices will plummet pretty quickly. That doesn’t happen if the vast amount of condo owners are living in the condo. They will do whatever it takes to keep up the payments. They don’t have anywhere else to live.

Q This report says Toronto will not see a bubble, just a correction – what does that mean to you?A I hate the word bubble. Other than in retrospect, you won’t know there was a bubble until it already popped. Some people say that Vancouver was a bubble. But, what does that even mean? It has no definition, it is like diagnosing a disease with no treatment. Really all that matters is what happens in the next year.

Q Why does it feel like we hear Toronto housing is booming one day, then the next day someone comes out saying it’s about to bust?A First of all, the market itself is very cyclical…. We expect that there are periods where there are significant increases in prices and periods where those prices can drop. When you look at things month-to-month [as Statistics Canada and the Canadian Real Estate Association do], reading up on the number of houses listed that went up or down between March and April you are looking at too short a time frame. Let’s say, for example, the Four Seasons building [in Toronto], which has a lot of hype leading up to the first month it opens for sales: They have a bunch of investors buying a whole bunch of $7-million condos. Those are going to skew the numbers upwards, then next month there is nothing.

Q How would you explain that in simpler terms?A It’s as if a grocery store was only open on Saturdays and we looked at the figures for grocery sales and said, “Wow, why did the sales go up on Saturday?” Or if you only opened the expensive stores on Saturday, it would look like grocery sales on Saturday are higher.

Q So we what reports and figures should we be reading?A Short of reading absolutely all of it, it is difficult to say [aside from] looking at all the details in each report. My other advice is don’t worry about short-term trends any more than you should be looking at your RRSP every week. You shouldn’t. It’ll be too depressing. Look at it once a year. Any of these short-term trends, they can be misleading or alarming. What they should look at is rolling averages. For example, what have house prices done in the last three months to the same three months a year ago? It does help to look from the month last year to that month this year.

Q What affect does the condo-sales market have on these reports and forecasts?A With condos there is a significant lag time. From the time a developer sees demands in the market, goes out gets a permit, pre-sells and builds them, that whole time frame is five years. But by the time that product comes to the market there are completely different market conditions.

Q How does this affect market predictions?A For example, there is a shortage of single-family homes. So you are not getting a lot of single-family home sales, you are getting a lot of condo sales and those condos, in many cases, are less expensive than single-family homes.

Q And?A If the development community ramps up its development of single-family homes, you could see a sudden surge in prices [for example] in the Spring of 2013, but it is not a sudden surge in prices, it is just now we are seeing more single-family home sales as opposed to condos.

Q So because there aren’t as many single-family homes on the market, the housing market in Toronto is flush with condos, which are less expensive – so the true value of the single-family homes is misrepresented?A It is a really just a sampling error. In any given month, the amount of homes sold is a tiny fraction of the amount of houses out there. If we could value month-to-month, what houses are really worth, we would not have this problem, so until we sell a house, we don’t know how much it is worth.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/12/is-torontos-housing-market-cooling-bubbling-bursting-or-booming/feed/5stdFor Sale.Why Exhibition Place might be the only logical choice for a waterfront casinohttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/06/why-exhibition-place-might-be-the-only-logical-choice-for-a-waterfront-casino/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/06/why-exhibition-place-might-be-the-only-logical-choice-for-a-waterfront-casino/#commentsThu, 07 Jun 2012 00:59:19 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=181424

Speculation that Ontario Place might be the site of a future waterfront hotel casino complex was quashed by the province’s minister of tourism, culture and sport Wednesday. Michael Chan he agrees with the advice of an advisory panel looking into the future of the aging park that Ontario Place should be for all Ontarians, and not just casino patrons. But if the Liberal government and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation remain intent on a waterfront casino in Toronto near the downtown core, and city council doesn’t insist otherwise, then what other sites remain? The National Post’s Kristin Annable looks at the Port Lands and Exhibition Place. (Because where else is there?)

Q: How much work would have to go into making the Port Lands a realistic site for a casino complex? A: A lot, especially if a future casino is large-scale, said Mike Williams, general manager of economic development and culture for the City of Toronto. “If it was to include hotels, shopping etc., there would need to be significant services that aren’t there now such as transit, transportation, bridges, flood protection, soil remediation — it’s a huge job.” All sites in the Port Lands have some degree of contamination and any development would require the remediation or replacement of soil, he said.

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Q: So that doesn’t sound likely, but let’s play ‘what if’ for a moment. The Port Lands is a huge tract of land — if a casino was to be placed there, where might it go? A: East of the Don Roadway and north of the shipping channel would be the best land to develop, Mr. Williams said, although he was quick to add that no area of the Port Lands has been zoned for a casino.

Q: What about the colossal, and abandoned, Hearn Generating Station? A: Mr. Williams didn’t rule it out completely. “There would be more work to make the Hearn building suitable. There is a temporary bridge that would need to be fixed, the road network would need to be fixed and water and sewage linkages would have to be checked,” he said. “The answer to that is I don’t know, but it’s not impossible”

Q: So what does Exhibition Place have that the Port Lands doesn’t? A: Pretty much everything. In terms of land — it is all ready and serviceable, said Diane Young, CEO of Exhibition Place. “Obviously the land has been highly serviced, the open areas right now are used to hold the old Exhibition grandstand, which seated 50,000 people. So the open area is serviced well,” she said. Public transportation to the area is also well established. “We obviously have 1.5 million people that come here during the 18-day fair.”

Q: So, what would make for a good layout for a casino? A: Either you use an existing entertainment precinct or you create one — and don’t expect to build a residential community around one, said John Campbell, CEO of Waterfront Toronto. And since Exhibition Place is an already established entertainment centre, it is the more obvious choice, he said. “A casino typically requires hotels and trade centres in order to be successful. Well guess what? It already has a trade centre and a hotel is coming there in September.”

Q: If Exhibition Place has the infrastructure, the land and the public transportation, why is the Port Lands even being discussed? A: If could just be a way to attract investors, said Mr. Campbell. “The Port Lands needs some catalyst in order to justify investment,” he said. “I think it is not because it is the best location for a casino to go, but if there is something out there to justify having a third party put in the infrastructure to make it flood protected, provide sewer water, roads, etc.”

Jim O’Hara, 72, of Hamilton, came in to Toronto on the GO bus Tuesday to visit the Eaton Centre’s Urban Eatery to pay respect to the victims of Saturday’s shooting.

With just a coffee from McDonald’s in hand, Mr. O’Hara said he made the trip to show that the violence couldn’t scare him away from the city he loves.

“It was a disgusting and outrageous thing that happened to those innocent people,” he said. “But I still think Toronto is a nice, safe city.”

Venturing into Toronto often, Mr. O’Hara said he loves to walk around the city from downtown to the west-end to North York. This time he plans to just observe the eatery, pay his respects and take the GO bus back to Hamilton.

REUTERS/Mark BlinchPeople observe a moment of silence during a candlelight vigil at Dundas Square across the street from where the shooting took place at the Toronto Eaton Centre shopping mall in Toronto, June 3, 2012.

The Urban Eatery, the scene of a deadly shooting that left one person dead and six wounded, opened its doors Tuesday for the first time since the Saturday incident. With pristine white floors, free of police tape or any indication of the horror that occurred there, it seemed business as usual.

“Minus the cameras here and a few more police officers, you would never know what had happened here a few days ago,” said Anuradha Gobin, a doctoral student visiting from Montreal.

Dining on a Greek salad, using the reusable melamine plates and cutlery that are a trademark of the food court, she said although she doesn’t feel the Eaton Centre is tainted by the shooting, it will be a topic for years to come.

“I made the deliberate decision to come here on my way to the Art Gallery of Ontario,” Ms. Gobin said. “The establishment is not responsible for what happened. The suspect was apprehended so I wasn’t scared to come here.”

Very few patrons at the eatery felt scared by the events of Saturday.

“When you open up your area to the public, you get the good with the bad,” said Luke Reid, a law student working at a legal clinic in the area. Stopping by the eatery on his lunch break, Mr. Reid said the food court represents the diversity of Toronto.

“It is a multicultural venture; I mean, look at all the different foods available,” he said.

A dishwasher, hard at work sorting through the ceramic plates, glassware and cutlery, remarked that it seemed busier than a normal Tuesday.

Outside, on the ground level of the mall, a makeshift memorial sits at the Yonge and Dundas streets entrance. Along with teddy bears, flowers and a poster for people to sign their names, people have taken to putting Post-it notes at the scene.

“Violence will not scare us away from anywhere,” one of the notes said.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/06/violence-will-not-scare-us-away-toronto-residents-and-visitors-stand-by-city-after-deadly-eaton-centre-shooting/feed/2stdA view of the Urban Eatery in the Eaton's Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Tuesday, June 5, 2012.People observe a moment of silence during a candlelight vigil at Dundas Square across the street from where the shooting took place at the Toronto Eaton Centre shopping mall in Toronto, June 3, 2012. What’s wrong, what’s right with Toronto’s librarieshttp://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/31/whats-wrong-whats-right-with-torontos-libraries/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/31/whats-wrong-whats-right-with-torontos-libraries/#commentsFri, 01 Jun 2012 02:15:14 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=179074

Businessman and newly resigned Toronto Public Library board member Stephen Dulmage was considered the staunchest conservative among the board’s citizen appointees and doesn’t hesitate to offer strong opinions about the organization. It is rife, he says, with inefficiencies and waste. And among the words he uses to describe people in positions of influence, either on the board or in library management, are “dinosaur” and “NDP wacko.”

Mr. Dulmage, who spent eight months on the board before growing frustrated with the slow pace of change and deciding “I have better things to do with my time,” aired his grievances early this month in his resignation letter to board chair Paul Ainslie. The letter, made public this week, prompted the National Post’s Kristin Annable to speak to Mr. Dulmage about the state of the library, what role it plays in the city and whether it does indeed need to cut the waste. Mr. Ainslie responds to Mr. Dulmage’s criticisms.

Stephen Dulmage: I am a business person and I hate to see waste. Once I got there (on the board), I saw that there was a lot of waste going around. For example, we have about 98 branches in total, we could lose 20 of them. Not to mention there are three times more branches south of St. Clair as there are north of St. Clair. It should be geographically spaced out.

Councillor Paul Ainslie: You have to look at population density, obviously in the downtown core (south of St. Clair) there are a lot more people. You can say that we have too many libraries, but they are all highly used. In fact we have the highest per capita library usage in North America

Dulmage: Currently we are stuck on this old business model where they load all these branches with millions of books. People these days go online to search for books and then order them to be picked up at their branch. We could pull 80% of the books and move them to a central warehouse. This way rather than having 80 copies of the same book, we could go down to 20.

Ainslie: You have to think of the cost of getting the book from a central warehouse to a branch and back. Not to mention if you have a warehouse you have to pay for it. This idea flies in the face of having a library as an open and accessible place.

Dulmage: We entertain mothers and children with puppets, have yoga classes, English-as-a-second language classes. Where does it end? This is not the mandate of the library. We have 200 community centres in Toronto already. The library is not a welfare agency.

Ainslie: I wouldn’t call the library a community centre, it is more like a community hub. People come to the library to feel a part of a community.

Dulmage: Libraries have turned into Internet cafes, but they are free. This has nothing to do with the library. These computers are all for people who won’t pay for their own laptop. At the very least we should be charging these people to use them.

Ainslie: Our mission statement is to provide information and educational tools to the general public. If you are in a low-income family and even if you can afford a laptop, you still have to find money to pay for the Internet once a month.

Dulmage: We have limited services on Sunday, yet are open weekday mornings when no one is around. Councillor Janet Davis says that this is for the elderly. We should rebalance and open up the libraries more on Sundays and at night when people actually use them. Or Christmas and Easter when it shuts down for seven days.

Ainslie: It all boils down to money. I’d love to have them open longer during Christmas, but you have to have the money to pay for them to be open. One of the areas Stephen and I did agree was on reducing the hours of some libraries, but the board was unwilling.

A Tottenham man caught allegedly taking photos up women’s skirts at Eglinton Station with his cell phone has been charged with voyeurism.

A Transit Patrol Unit apprehended the 35-year-old man after witnesses reported seeing him take pictures of women at the station. Police say they caught a man in the apparent act of filming.

Toronto Police ServiceEugene Couto

“Police officers witnessed the man placing the phone under the skirt and he appeared to be making some sort of recording,” Police Const. Wendy Drummond said.

Police have possession of the phone and are looking through it to find more possible victims. Const. Drummond believes there are more victims, many of whom possibly didn’t know they were being filmed or photographed.

Police are advising people if they see suspicious activities to inform TTC employees, the police or the victims themselves.

“The victim might not be aware of what is happening,” Const. Drummond said.

Charged with one count of voyeurism is Eugene Couto.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/30/man-caught-allegedly-taking-photos-up-womens-skirts-at-eglington-station-charged-with-voyeurism/feed/0stdA TTC bus prepares to leave Eglinton Ave station. A Tottenham man caught allegedly taking photos up women’s skirts at Eglinton Station with his cell phone has been charged with voyeurismEugene Couto